To a Degree

  Author’s Note: The following interview was conducted in Harvard Yard, sometime in the early morning hours of the second day of January, in the Year of Our Lord 2024. It cannot be ascertained what exactly happened to the statue of the Reverand John Harvard which stands in said Yard, but in some magical fashion, the statue “came alive” – if a thing made of bronze can become animate and speak. The interviewer – this author – affirms that she witnessed the transformation, and that, at the statue’s instigation, she engaged in a somewhat startling exchange, the transcript of which she now presents to you. JH (statue): Ahem, young lady! EFGH (author): Good morning, reverend Sir! What has happened to you? JH: I have been given a brief time in which to speak what is on the heart and mind of the founder of this institute of higher education. EFGH: Excuse me, reverend Sir! I have been told that you are not the founder of Harvard; you were merely one of its contributors . JH: D...

OK…I realize I have been away for a very long time, but – I’m on the rebound! Get ready for some straight-from-the hip TRUTH about education as it exists in America today. ~~~ I recently had a conversation with a friend over a particular dilemma I had. It involved an attempt at homeschooling that another friend had initiated on behalf of an elementary-school-aged relative. I expressed my frustration at the uncertain, disorganized nature of this endeavor; nothing about this homeschooling attempt appeared to be thought-out or organized. Several months ago, I had been invited to be an established member of the network of instructors (one of the better features of homeschooling is to include knowledgeable people in the instruction), and I had readily agreed. Now, at the beginning of a new school year, the effort – though continuing – was in shambles, and my input was unwelcome. My first friend had offered that the problem was “socialization” – the theory that children learn best in a co...